Valley National Bank and WaFd Bank Leadership

Ira Robbins and Brent Beardall take their roles representing the banking industry seriously.

Between the two of them, Robbins, Chairman and CEO of $62 billion asset Valley National Bank, and Beardall, Vice Chairman, President, and CEO of $26 billion asset WaFd Bank, have commanded dozens of national media appearances. The CNBC regulars have spoken on interest rates, loan demand, banking crises, and more.

But it’s arguably the stories they tell off script that reveal the secrets underlying the successes of these two leaders.

The executive duo of Robbins and Beardall were introduced to one another through Travillian, a nationwide boutique specializing in executive search. Their first joint appearance at a Travillian panel discussion in 2021 explored how entrepreneurial CEOs can drive meaningful cultural change. The discussion garnered coverage from American Banker, which highlighted how both leaders navigated the challenge of cultural transformation — with Robbins shifting Valley from regulator-driven processes to customer-centric operations, and Beardall transitioning WaFd from a traditional thrift to a modern commercial bank.

A few years later, on August 28, 2025, Robbins and Beardall appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box together to discuss the state of the consumer, housing, and AI.

And at last month’s NEXT Forum, hosted by Travillian and Alden Investment Group, the two reunited for a wide-ranging discussion on the existential threat of too big to fail banks, the misunderstood risks in commercial real estate, and the power of vulnerable leadership to build stronger banking cultures.

Please enjoy the highlights from the conversation below, or watch the full panel here: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts

Fighting for the Future of Community Banking

Robbins and Beardall didn’t mince words when discussing the biggest threat facing their industry. Drawing on their recent CNBC appearance together, the two CEOs made an impassioned case for why community banks must stop staying silent about the widening gap between community banks and institutions that are too big to fail.

Red Laws and Blue Rules: Building a Culture of Empowerment

How do you empower employees when regulatory requirements seem designed to stifle them? Beardall introduced his framework of “red laws” versus “blue rules” — a philosophy that’s helped WaFd dramatically improve customer satisfaction while navigating an increasingly complex compliance landscape. The results speak for themselves: a Net Promoter Score that jumped from 17 to 58 in just a few years.

Defending Their Portfolios: The Truth About Commercial Real Estate

Both CEOs have found themselves on multiple “top CRE exposure” lists published by national media. Their response? Stop the lazy analysis. In one of the most energized moments of the panel, Beardall and Robbins dismantled the narrative that commercial real estate is a ticking time bomb, with data to prove it.

The Reality Check on Bank M&A

Between them, Robbins and Beardall have led their institutions through billions of dollars in acquisitions. But they’re also brutally honest about the pitfalls. With Robbins noting that Valley has grown 50% organically and 50% through M&A, and Beardall candidly acknowledging that two-thirds of bank mergers destroy value, this conversation offers hard-won wisdom for anyone considering a deal.

Don’t Let Others Define Your Destiny

On January 2, 2023, Brent Beardall survived a plane crash that killed the pilot and left him severely wounded. What followed was a journey not just of physical recovery, but of profound personal transformation. In the most moving moment of the panel, Beardall shared how vulnerability became his most powerful leadership tool.